Automobile boiler



Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES JAMES A. MEAns, on sAcRAMENTo, cAnirornvra.V

AUTOMOBILE BOILER.

Application filed March 23, 1921. 4Serial No. 454,604.

To czZfZ lwhom t may conce/Mz.'

Be it known that I,.JAMES A. MEADs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sacramento, in the coiuity of Sacramento and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in AutomobileBoilers, ot' which the following is a specititration. n y

This invention relates to a boiler, and particularly pertains to a steamboiler for use in automobiles and the like.

It is the principal object ot the present invention to provide a boilertor eiiiciently generating steam, which boiler consists of a pluralitydetachable and interchangeableunits adapted to provide water circulat-.

ing means, said units being further constructed to insure that themaximum heat will be imparted to the water.

The invention contemplates the use ot headers carrying a plurality oftube units, the individual tube elements of which have a centralpassageway therethrough to form iiues through which heat may travelcausing heat to pass through and around the tubes.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings, in which F ig. 1 is a view in vertical section and elevationthrough the boiler, with parts broken away to more clearly disclose theconstruction of the tube units,

Fig. 2 is a view in transverse vertical section through the boiler nearone side thereof showing the general arrangement of the headers and thetube units. f

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates a iire boxwithin which heat -may be generatedV by any suitable means. As shown inFig. 1 an oil burner 1l is provided. Disposed directly above the re boxand at the opposite ends thereof are lower headers 12. One of theseheaders is positioned at the front andthe other at the rear of the tirebox. Parallel to these members and a considerable distance thereaboveare upper headers 13. It is understood Ithat these headers are hollowand provide distributing conduits for water and vapor. One of the lowerheaders is equipped with a water inlet pipe 14. The complementary upperheader is equipped with an outlet pipe 15. These pipes are valvecontrolled and, as shown in Fig. 1, a

water level gauge 16 is connected from one` pipe to the other, thusindicating the water level within the boiler.

'lfhe headers are provided with communieating conduits for a pluralityot' tube units 17. ylhese units each comprise parallel top and bottompipes 18 and 19 respectively vertical water tubes 20 and tlue pipes 21.The opposite ends ot the pipes 18 and 19 are threaded and iitted withunions 22 by which these members are detachably secured to tubularextensions 23 communicating with and pro-- jecting trom the headersbetween which the units are disposed. 'll-he water tubes or columns 20are welded through openings in the pipes 18 and 19 and are spacedequidistant therealong. Extending upwardly through the columns andconcentric therewith are the flue pipes 2 1, Theselue pipes are ot anoutside diameter relative to the inside diameter ot the columns so as toprovide a space for the water columns within the tubes and around theflue pipes. The lower ends of the Hue pipes are secured through thebottom of the member 19, while the upper ends extend through the top ofthe cross member 18. These flue pipes are welded in position. It willtherefore be evident that the heat and products of combustion producedby a source of heat such as the burner 11 will pass upwardly through andaround the water columns in the various tube units, after which it maypass out through a flue 24 in the top ot an enclosing shell 25.

The vapor generated within the boiler does not pass directly therefrombut flows out into the upper headers 13 and from thence through thepipes 25 into a steam dome 26. A steam outlet pipe 27 is connected withthis dome at some convenient point. A plurality of washout plugs 28 aremounted in threaded openings arranged along the headers so that theindividual units may be cleaned when desired.

In the operation of the present invention the boiler is assembled asshown in the drawing, after which it is filled to a desired height and aheat generating unit set in action to deliver heat to the lire box 10.This heat will circulate upwardly within the she-ll and will passthrough and around the water columns ot the various tube units, thusheating the columns of water both from the inside and outside of theunits,

and due to the fact that the volume of water around the column andbetween the inner and outer walls is relatively small the water may berapidly raised and maintained at a high temperature. When any of thevarious units become clogged with foreign material the correspondingplug Q8 may be removed and the unit washed out. lt repair is requiredthe unions 2Q may be readily disconnected to permit the removal of thedesired unit, and in this case it is possible to cap the correspondingextensions 23 so that the boiler may continue operation without thedamaged tube unit.

lt will thus be seen that the device. here disclosed decidedly simple inoperation. and that due to its construction the various parts may bereadily interchanged or renewed, at the Sametime providing a boilerwithin which steam may be rapidly generated and an efficient consumptionof heat brought about.

lhile I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known tome, it will be understood that various changes might be made in thecombination, construction and arrangement of parts by those skilled inthe art without'departing from the spirit oli' the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Pat ent is- In a steam generator' for vehicles, a plurality ofvertically disposed tube units arranged at spaced distances apart and inalignment with each other, each of said units comprisinghorizontal'upper and lower tubes and a plurality or' vertically disposedtubes connected therewith and interposed therebetween to establishcomnxunication between said horizontal tubes, horizontal headersarranged at right angles to the tube units and disposed along oppositeends of the upper and lower horizontalv tubes to establish communicationtherebetween, detachable connections between the ends of the horizontaltubes ot each unit and the headers whereby the units may be individuallyremoved without disturbing the other units, a flue pipe disposedconcentrically within each vertical tube, said flue pipes extendingthrough and across the horizontal tubes, a water inlet connection forthe lower headers, a steam dome, connections between the steam dome andthe upper headers, and removable plugs in the sides of one upper and onelower header, said plugs being disposed in alignmentwith the horizontaltubes of the tube units to permit cleaning thereof.

JAMES A. MEADS.

